Bad-Check Scam Leads to Jail Time Created by kblakeslee on 2/16/2013 8:13:51 PM

31-year-old Lonnika Hightower, is the last of a group of six people charged with opening accounts and cashing hundreds of dollars in bad checks at branches of Professional Federal Credit Unions.

According to the Journal Gazette, in exchange for her guilty plea, Hightower will be given a suspended prison sentence of two years and ordered to serve two years on probation.

Hightower; 25-year-old Monika Gaines, and 36-year-old Elgin Malone, were each charged with corrupt business influence in August. Gaines and Malone were also charged with fraud on a financial institution.

In October, however, the case against Malone was dismissed.

In January, Gaines pleaded guilty to corrupt business influence and was sentenced this month to two years’ probation.

Charges were also filed in April against 23-year-old Jordan Luna, 23-year-old Dilonia Burks and 25-year-old Deandre Clay.

They were each charged with fraud on a financial institution and check fraud. Clay was also charged with corrupt business influence. All members of that group have since pleaded guilty and been sentenced for their roles in the scheme.